Can you recommend any cameras similar to Canon A70?

My husband and I are shopping around for our first digital camera. We're
amateurs, but not completely confused about technology and I would like the
opportunity to own a camera that would help me learn some things beyond
point-and-shoot. The only digital camera experience we have is some
extended use of a Sony Mavica 71(? - its under 1MP) that my father purchased
a few years back. We want something that will last us at least a good 3
years or so and we want as much quality as we can afford under the
circumstances (why bother taking pictures if they're going to turn out bad).

The first consideration we have is the budget. We really can't go much
beyond $300 for the camera itself (with full knowledge that batteries,
storage, etc will be extra of course). Next, we considered what minimum
requirements we needed, and this is what we came up with:

Minimum of 3MP (in case we ever want a halfway decent 8x10)
Minimum of 3X optical zoom
Short shutter delay (in comparison to the Mavica anyways which shouldn't be
hard)
Movie mode WITH audio (decent quality hopefully with at least 30 sec/size of
storage capability)

With the help of http://www.dpreview.com, I was able to take a list of
cameras that someone suggested to me and evaluate them. From what I've
read, the Canon A70 is everything in a camera that we'll need (we especially
like the long battery life), although I need to physically handle it before
I will make up my mind. It is on the pricy end of our budget, but I am not
willing to settle for the A60 and it seems to meet my minimum needs
perfectly (and sadly we don't have enough to get the A80). But because of
the cost, I also want to find some more models to judge against, which is
difficult to do considering there are so many out there. I tried using the
search feature on dpreview.com, but I've had more luck asking for
recommendations.

Can anyone recommend any other similar (but not more expensive) models that
I should check into before I make my final decision? Does anyone have
anything else I should consider about the A70 (the Canon forums at dpreview
are rather busy and the search function considers just A70 as too broad of a
term)?

Here's some models that we've rejected already:

Fuji FinePix A303 - no audio with the video (MAJOR point with us)
Fuji FinePix 3800 - no audio with the video
Kodak Easyshare DX6330/40 - reviews say images may be fuzzy, complaints
about Kodak quality on many camera models
Nikon Coolpix 3100 - no audio with video
Olympus D-560 - no audio with video
Pentax Optio 33L - reviews say there may be problems with low light shots,
many complaints about the LCD

Thanks in advance for any

- Joanne

 

The Fuji FinePix 3800 does have audio.
The S3000 model appears to be the same camera without audio.

 

Good luck finding a better all around point-n-shoot digital camera than
the Canon Powershot A70 for $300 or less with all of the features you want.

In general Compact Flash memory cards are about the most memory for the
cost (prices of other types are dropping too) which will save you money over
the long run as will the readily available AA NiMH rechargeable batteries it
takes. Considering that the holiday season is not too far away & both the
A70 & the A80 may be going on sale both locally & via reputable internet
merchants, so you may save if you can wait & shop around.

Just checked the latest prices of both the A70 & the A80 & both have
already dropped from $300 & $400 down to $280 & $380 respectively at my
favorite Internet merchant. If your interested, I'll post the link but I
generally try not to advocate 1 merchant over another because this is a very
subjective choice. Just like buying a car from this or that dealer, there
are pleased & displeased customers for them all.

The biggest selling point for the A70 which I own & am very pleased
with, is the manual feature set which you may want to use as you learn more
about digital cameras. The A70 has lot's of user selectable features "IF"
you ever decide to use any of them & if not, set it to full auto & enjoy it.

Just my 2 cents worth, hope it has some value to you.

Respectfully, DHB

 

Yes, I second that. The Finepix-3800 has audio and can record a 40 second
movie. It also has voice memo and a huge 6X optical zoom lense. It takes
sharp images (in sunshine) and at night with a tripod, it also has many more
useful options. Plus it feels and looks like a real DSLR camera. Can not be
beaten for under $300-

 

Thank you! I'll stop by BB tonight when I'm in town. I need to check out
physical models anyways.

- Joanne

 

....

You might want to look at the Minolta S414. I have the nearly identical S404.
On the plus side, the S414 is 4MP and has a 4X optical zoom (about 35-140 in
35mm equivalency). On the minus side, its a bit bigger and heavier and uses
batteries pretty quickly (with screen always on - compared to some newer
designs). On the plus side, again, the S414 takes AA batteries and Compact
Flash memory cards, so batteries and memory are relatively cheap and
plentiful.


--
Dan (Woj...) dmaster (at) lucent (dot) com

"I believe in the kingdom come / Then all the colours will bleed into one
Bleed into one / But yes, I'm still running
You broke the bonds and you loosed the chains
Carried the cross of my shame / Of my shame / You know I believe it"